Injured Blackpool loanee Uche Ikpeazu returns to Watford

Uche Ikpeazu has returned temporarily from Blackpool to Watford for treatment on an injury.

The hulking 21-year-old striker has been at the club’s training facility in London Colney this week to receive expert medical advice and rehabilitation work on the minor groin issue that has seen him miss Blackpool’s last two matches.

Matej Vydra made a much shorter journey, from Reading, last month to also get treatment from Richard Collinge, the club’s head of medical, and his soft-tissue therapists. Steven Finn, the England cricketer, also used the club’s facilities in November to speed up his return from a foot injury.

Ikpeazu joined the Tangerines in January on a loan deal until the end of the season. He’s started three of their last 14 matches and come off the bench in nine others. Signed from Reading in 2013, the striker has had loan spells at Crewe Alexandra, Doncaster and Port Vale. His contract expires in the summer.